People matter. No matter the mission, requirement, operation, or project—when it comes to any group, military unit, or corporate endeavor, each person matters.

This belief is fundamental to the principles of leadership, management and operation of the United States military in general, and to the Navy in particular.We have a strong and abiding commitment to the growth and development of the people in the Navy who represent the broad diversity and rich fabric of this great country.

The military is virtually the only organization that must promote from within; we don’t hire our executive leadership from outside the organization. We recruit the very people who will eventually be our services’ managers and leaders. This fact creates a sense of pride and ownership, and makes the deep and dedicated development of individuals and teams enormously central to all that we do.

We are focused on the human performance and success of sailors and all service members. We encourage lifelong learning and respect, and leverage the fact that each individual learns and processes information differently. Our aim is to make every sailor the best he or she can be, and to prepare every individual for the opportunity to succeed by instilling asense of self-motivation.

We do this with academic skills enhancement courses, personal mentoring, standards testing, performance evaluations, and formal training and opportunities for education. We also realize and appreciate how very important our families are to the overall well-being of the group and organization. Our sailors and their families matter, and that makes us successful.

All organizations must have a similar belief in and commitment to the potential of their people. We, as executives and leaders, must have a sincere respect for the physical, moral, emotional, intellectual, and mental growth and development of our people. As executives we must lead by example, inspire, motivate, and guide our teams so that they succeed on their own. This investment in building human capacity pays off in increased corporate capabilities.

By nature an optimist, I believe that there is an opportunity in every circumstance; that individuals should be treated with respect and dignity; that honor and integrity are essential to a life of excellence; that living a life of critical-self examination has enormous rewards toward wisdom; that accountability and ethical conduct are liberating; that delivering on a promise or commitment is a part of character—and that people matter.